Annunciator.



L. C. HODSON.

' ANNUNCIATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-23,1911.

Patented June 29, 1915. 7

lllllll 'HE NURRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. c.

L. C. HODSON.

ANNUNCIATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, I911.

1 1 44,843 Patented June 29, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE NuRP/S =|=RS 50.. FHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D. c,

pnrrn srrns arena onnro LEOPOLD corrann nonson, or WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

Annunciation.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed August 23, 1911. Serial No. 645,501.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LnoroLD GorrARn HoDsoN, of the city of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have in-- the requisite number of times to produce the signal, and it consists essentially in the employment of a stationary dial bearing the signals over which swings a hand, which hand is rotated by the action of a rack, the rack being operated by the action of an electro-magnet, in turnexcited or demagnetized by the closing and breaking of an electric circuit. A means for resetting the hand is also supplied so, that it can be returned to the original or normal position after any desired signal has been given.

In order to fully understand the invention I willnow describe it in detail refer ring to the drawings attached forming part of this application.

Figure 1 representsa plan view of the annunciator with parts broken away to eX- pose construction. Fig. 2 is a rear View of it. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4: a front view, and Fig. 5 an enlarged detailed View of the escapement.

In the drawings like characters of. reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

At the outset I might explain that the electric circuit containing the annunciator is only shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings.

1 represents a suitable support fitted on the outer side with a stationary circular dial 2 on which appear set signals, those in the present, instance comprising numbers arranged in order from one to twelve, (1 to 12), there being a point marked 0 (zero), designating normal or inoperative position of the annunciator. However any code of signals can be placed on the dial, the only requirement being that they be spaced a definite distance apart so as to register with the hand or index pointer later referred to. I I

3 is a spindle suitably mounted in the support and provided at its ends with an index pointer orphand 4, and a pinion 5, the handappearing in front of the dial so that it can be swung to point to the various members or signals appearing thereon. Adjoining the pinion is a circular disk 6 permanently secured to the spindle and supplied with a number of stop pins 7, which pins are arranged concentric to the spindle and correspond in number to the number of signals appearing on the dial.

8 is a plate permanently secured to the support immediately beneath the disk and carrying in the present instance two. electro-magnets 9 wound in the usual way and fitted with soft metal cores l0, adjoining Which is an armature 11 pivotally supported by adjusting screws 12 carried by a head piece 13 permanently secured to theprotruding ends of the cores. .4 The windings or wires of the electro-magnets are connected to the terminals 14 and 15 which are insulated from the adjoining metallic parts by a fibrous member 16. An arm 17 extends forwardly from the armature through the support and is supplied with a hooked end 18 for a purpose shortly to be explained.

19 is an escapement piece pivotally secured to the arm at 20 and presenting two opposing lugs or wings 21 and 22 which are long enough to project into the path of the pins 7 when the disk rotates. The lug 21 is in a higher horizontal plane than the lug 22 so that immediately a pin is re: leased from the lug 21 it escapes to the lug 22 where it is stopped. A flat spring 23 has one end fixed on the arm, and the opposite end bearing against the base of the catch piece so as to press the forward portion of it continuously against a projection 24; extending upwardly from the side of the arm.

25 represents a battery having its terminals connected electrically by wires a and b to the terminals 14 and 15 hereinbefore mentioned. A key 26 is inserted in the wire a so that the circuit can be made and broken as desired. A post 27 extends upwardly from a base piece 28, and a spiral spring 29 passes between the post and the armature.

30 is an arched rack bar having the teeth thereof meshing with those of the pinion 5 and being carried at the end of a lever 31 pivoted at 32 to a standard 33 mounted on the base piece 28.

34: is a bracket fixed on the standard,

and 35 is a spiral spring connected to the bracket and the arm. A rod 36 is pivotally fastened to the end of the lever and has the free end passing through a suitable opening located in the support 1 and adjoining the hooked end of the arm 17'. The rack and pinion are designed so that for each tooth displacement thereof the hand 4 is turned from one signalto the next.

In order that there may be no further movement of'the hand when it has reached the last signal (2'. e. 12), even upon the key being depressed, I have fixed a wide member 37 on the dial which cannot escape from thelug 21 when the arm 17 is swung upwardly by the action of the armature, and it isarranged to engage with the lug when the hand registers the number 12.- It will of course be understood that this member 'will'always be placed so as to prevent the hand from turning ina clockwise direction any, farther than the last figure given on the dial. 7

Immediately beneath the dial is a'resetting plate 38 which is pivotally secured to the support by a pivot pin 39. The resetting'plate is held in its upright or vertical position by the hooked end 18-of the arm and it is arranged so as to fall or swing downwardly immediately the hooked end of the arm isfreed from it. The plate is arranged to engage with the protruding end of the rod 36 when it is swung upwardlyto the vertical position and in so doing forces the rod backwardly and swings the lever,

thereby operating the rack on the pinion and turning the hand in a counter clockwise direction.

the wing 21 of the escapement was in engagement with one of the stop pins 7. Im-

mediately the arm is raised the wing 21 is passed in a vertical direction clear of the said stop pin and the following stop pin is caught by the wing 22 which is passed by the movement of the arm into the path "ofithe latter pin. The disk it is to be understood is rotatedby the action of thespring 35. Upon the circuit being broken by the raising of the key the armature immediately returns toits outer position under the action of the spring 29 which causes the forward end of the arm 17 to drop and its movement then withdraws the latter pin from the wing 22 and allows the then following pin to engage with the wing 21. The above operation is continued each time the circuit ing the pins to pass. course, returns the escapement to the orlgi- 'ployee, whose number is five (5).

setting plate is swung upwardly immediately after a signal has been given.

It will be seen that in the resetting operatlon the pins'ofthe disk will engage with the wings of the escap'ement, the escapement swinging about its pivot point and allow- The spring 23 of nal position each tim-e a pin passes, the normal position being that occupied when the foot'of-the escapement engages the projecti'oni 24.

Assuming that one, such as a manager,

desires to call any of his employees who have a. call number, it is only necessary for him to depress the key a stated number of times, say five, in order to call the'em- With five depressions of the key the hand stands at 5 on the dial so that the employees always know definitely, by referring to the dial, who is called.- When the call hasbeen answered the resetting plate is swung upwardly and the hand immediatelyswings in a counterclockwise rotation backto the 0 (zero) position.

Although I have described the application of the device for office use, yet it will be readily understood how it could be easily modified for use in any system where any set signals are required to be given or displayed.

lVhat I claim as my invention is: 7

1. In combination, a support, a spindle mounted in the support, a dial carried by the support and presenting a number of signals and a zero point arranged concentricallyto-thespindle, an index pointer rotatable with the spindle and normally indicating zero point on the dial, a disk-fixed on the spindle, stop pins extending from the disk, said stop pins being spaced the same distance apart as the signals, apinionfixed on the spindle and adjoining the disk, a

spring actuated means engaging with the pinion-and tending normally to rotate the same in a clockwise direction, an electromagnet located in a suitable electric circuit controlled by a make and break key, said electromagnet beingprovided with the usual pivoted armature, a spring-pressed pivotally mounted escapement supplied with a pair of wings-located normally in the path of the stop pins, said escapement being supported further in a manner allowing it to have a swinging motion in a direction at right angles to the path of'the'stop pins, which motion is controlled by the armature, means limiting the turning movement of the escapement in one direction on its pivot point, and means for resetting the index pointer after the signal has been given.

2. In combination, a support, a spindle mounted in the support, a dial carried by the support and presenting a number of signals and a zero point arranged concentrically to the spindle, an index pointer rotatable with the spindle and normally indicating zero point on the dial, adisk fixed on the spindle, stop pins extending from the disk, said stop pins being spaced the same distance apart as the signals, a pinion fixed on the spindle and adjoining the disk, a spring actuated means engaging with the pinion and tending normally to rotate the same in a clockwise direction, an electromagnet located in a suitable electric circuit controlled by a make andbreak key, said electro-magnet being provided with the usual pivoted armature, an arm extending from the armature toward the disk, a spring pressed pivotally mounted escapement carried by the arm, said escapement being supplied with a pair of wings located in the path of the stop pins, a projection extending from the arm and engageable with the side of the escapement, and means for resetting the index pointer after the signal has been given, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In combination, a support, a spindle mounted in the support, a dial carried by the support and presenting a number of signals and a zero point arranged concentrically to the spindle, an index pointer rotatable with the spindle and normally indicating zero point on the dial, a disk fixed on the spindle, stop pins extending from the disk, said stop pins being spaced the same distance apart as the signals, a pinion fixed on the spindle and adjoining the disk, a pivotally mounted spring pressed lever provided with a rack bar having the teeth thereof meshing with the pinion, a rod secured pivotally to the lever and extending forwardly through the support, an electro magnet carried by the support, said electromagnet being connected in a suitable electric circuit controlled by a make and break contact, a pivoted armature carried by the electromagnet, a spring holding the armature away from the electro-magnet, an arm extending from the armature forwardly through the support and provided with a hooked end, a setting plate pivotally secured to the support, said plate being held in the upright position by the hooked end of the arm and engaging in the upright position with the protruding end of the rod, a spring pressed pivotally mounted escapement carried by the arm and supplied with a pair of wings extending into the path of the pins, said wings being in different horizontal planes and a projection carried by the arm and engaging with the side of the escapement, as and for the purpose specified.

1. In an annunciator, the combination with a rotatably mounted disk having suitable stop pins extending therefrom and arranged concentric to the axis of rotation of the disk, spring means for rotating the disk and an electromagnet located in a suitable electric circuit controlled by a make and break key, said electromagnet being provided with the usual pivoted armature, of an arm disposed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the disk and having the rear end thereof connected to the armature and the forward end thereof adjoining the pins and an escapement located at the forward end of the arm and located in the path of the pins, said escapement being provided with spaced wings being in different horizontal planes, the said wings being designed to successively arrest and release the successive pins in the movement of the arm with the armature upon the electromagnet being successively energized and deenergized by the manipulation of the key, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, this 19th day of January, 1911.

LEOPOLD COPPARD HODSON.

In the presence of- G. S. Roxnone, G. THOMSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for-five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents, Washington, D. G. 

